These are the craziest things dropping this New Year's Eve

We've all watched the ball drop in Times Square in New York to ring in the New Year, but the Big Apple celebration is just one of numerous festivities around the country. From coast to coast, cities drop all kinds of things to count down to midnight. From beach balls to buzzards, here are ten of this year's drops.

2. Spencer the Possum | Tallapoosa, Ga.

In this West Georgia community, a stuffed possum named Spencer encased in twinkle lights is lowered from the American Hometown Realty building – one of the oldest in the city. Fun fact: Tallapoosa was once called Possum Snout.

6. Lucky the Carp | Prairie Du Chien, Wis.

In Prairie Du Chien during the annual Droppin' of the Carp, a 3-foot fish named Lucky gets lowered. Festival goers often kiss it for good luck – a twist on the Chinese belief that eating carp on New Year's brings luck.

7. Beach Ball | Panama City Beach, Fla.

New Year's Eve on Panama City Beach wouldn't be complete without the dropping of a huge, glowing beach ball in Pier Park. For young revelers, the city also drops some 10,000 inflatable beach balls over the streets at 8 pm, followed by a fireworks show.

9. The Great Pinecone | Flagstaff, Ariz.

If you're in Flagstaff to celebrate the arrival of 2019, you'll get to see a 6-foot, 70-pound pinecone drop in front of the Weatherford Hotel, once at 10 pm (midnight in New York) and again at midnight.

Lydia, Senior Photo Editor and Readers' Choice Production Manager for USA TODAY 10Best, has traveled to more than 40 countries in Europe, Asia and North and South America, and has lived in Albuquerque, Galveston, Austin, Thailand, Korea, China, Ecuador, Colombia, Argentina, Brazil, Spain and now Houston. When she's not at her computer in a cafe, she's out photographing the city, writing fiction or cheering on Barça.